The Ultimate Vintage Businesses on Historic Route 66 Quiz

Route 66 is a famous highway linking Chicago and Los Angeles via small, rural towns. Besides providing a path for landlocked American towns to the Pacific, it also brought business and tourism to the towns it passed through. Many of these businesses remain historic landmarks today. Take this quiz to learn more about the vintage businesses on Route 66.

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Question 1 of 20

In what year was Route 66 opened?

1901

1914

1927

Route 66 was opened in 1927. It was formally decommissioned in 1985 after being overshadowed by modern interstate highways.

Question 2 of 20

Why did people like to visit the Georgian Hotel in Santa Monica, California?

It was a speakeasy during Prohibition.

The Georgian Hotel was opened in 1933 and is in walking distance from Santa Monica Pier, which is the end of Route 66. It was a speakeasy during Prohibition, attracting many illicit beer lovers as well as travelers.

It offered free accommodation.

It was the only hotel in Santa Monica in the 1930s.

Question 3 of 20

Which famous Hollywood star used the Georgian Hotel as a hideout from the press?

Humphrey Bogart

Micke Rooney

Clark Gable

Clark Gable and his wife Carole Lombard hid in the Georgian Hotel, as have many other famous and infamous people.

Question 4 of 20

Who currently owns the town of Amboy, California?

the Route 66 Museum

Roy and Velma Crowl owned most of what comprised the town of Amboy in the 1930s. This included a cafe, motel and service station. The business, named Roy's, was taken over by Roy's daughter, Betty, and her husband, Buster Burris. When Buster retired in 1995, the town was taken over by the Route 66 Museum in San Bernardino, California, and has been restored back to its 1950s charm.

the Burris family

the family of Roy and Velma Crowl

Question 5 of 20

James Taylor used a shack to build the Jackrabbit Trading Post in Joseph City, Arizona. How many jackrabbits did Taylor line the roof with?

5

15

30

He lined the roof with 30 jackrabbits that appear to be hopping along the building. He also painted dancing American Indians on the building, in his attempt to catch the eye of travelers.

Question 6 of 20

How far from the Jackrabbit Trading Post can billboards for the shop be seen?

10 miles

500 miles

1000 miles

Taylor traveled to Springfield, Missouri, placing billboards of jackrabbits and dancing cowgirls along 1,000 miles of roadside, in order to advertise his business.

Question 7 of 20

How many Wigwam Village Motels still exist?

three

Frank Redford built the first Wigwam Village motel in Kentucky in 1934. Now there are three Wigwams left: in Arizona, California and Kentucky.

five

seven

Question 8 of 20

What was the Tee Pee Curios Trading Post in Tucumcari, New Mexico, originally built as?

a convenience store

a gas station

The Tee Pee Curios Trading Post was originally a gas station that sold groceries and novelty items. When the road was expanded in the 1950s, the Tee Pee became just a store for novelty items.

a novelty store

Question 9 of 20

What was the Haunted Natatorium when it was opened in 1922?

a motel

a dance hall

an indoor swimming pool

The Haunted Natatorium of Amarillo, Texas, was an indoor swimming pool. In 1926 it was purchased by J.D. Tucker, who converted it to a dance hall.

Question 10 of 20

Why is the Natatorium haunted?

The dance floor fell in, killing many people.

There is a spooky echo when people dance.

People have seen a ghostly couple dancing.

It has been said that a ghostly couple can be spotted dancing in the Haunted Natatorium.

Question 11 of 20

What is unique about the Cadillacs at Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, Texas?

They are half buried in the ground.

The 10 Cadillacs are buried halfway into the ground, nose first.

They are coated in silver.

They are each a stall for a different food.

Question 12 of 20

How have the owners of Cadillac Ranch tried to encourage people to visit their ranch?

Travelers get free drinks.

Travelers can decorate the cars.

The cars can be decorated by travelers and are painted over every so often to create a fresh canvas for new passersby.

Travelers are filmed for a documentary.

Question 13 of 20

What movie depicted the Cadillacs at Cadillac Ranch?

Cars

The Cadillacs were depicted in Cars, a 2006 animated film.

Planes, Trains and Automobiles

Who Killed the Electric Car?

Question 14 of 20

Lucille's is named after Lucille Hamons, who operated her porch-style gas station until she died in what year?

1980

1990

2000

Lucille died in 2000. The owner of the gas station in Hydro, Oklahoma, was known as "the Mother of the Mother Road," due to the many people she looked after when they stopped by for gas or a snack.

Question 15 of 20

How tall is Ed Galloway's Totem Pole?

90 feet

Ed Galloway built a 90-foot (30-meter) totem pole, using 28 tons of cement, 6 tons of steel and 100 tons of sand and rock. Foyil, Oklahoma, is the home of the totem pole, which is the largest in the world. It was made as a tribute to Native American culture.

110 feet

130 feet

Question 16 of 20

How many drive-in theaters were there in the 1950s and 1960s?

1,000

3,000

5,000

The 66 Drive-In Theater, located in Carthage, Missouri, was one of about 5,000 drive-in theaters that existed in the middle of the 20th century, and is now one of about 800 drive-ins still operating in the U.S.

Question 17 of 20

What did Ted Drewe sell in his store, located on Route 66 in St. Louis, Missouri?

frozen yogurt

frozen custard

Ted Drewe started a frozen custard business using his own recipe, and opened a stand in St. Louis in 1931. He opened another store along Route 66 in 1941. The store sold the frozen custard in the summer months and Christmas tress in the winter.

ice cream

Question 18 of 20

How did the Cozy Dog Drive-In in Springfield, Illinois, get its name?

The owner loved dogs.

The owner invented corn dogs.

Ed Waldmire invented the corn dog -- a breaded hot dog on a stick. He set up his stand in Springfield in 1946 and began to sell his invention. The business grew into the Cozy Dog Drive-In and continues to flourish.

The owner sold coats made of dog fur.

Question 19 of 20

What is significant about Buckingham Fountain in Chicago, Illinois?

It is where Route 66 began.

Buckingham Fountain represents Lake Michigan and is located in Chicago's Grant Park, where Route 66 began. The fountain has four sea horses, representing the four states that border the lake: Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin.

It is the largest fountain in the world.

It is the oldest fountain in the world.

Question 20 of 20

How much water comes out of the jets of the fountain each minute?

140 gallons

1,400 gallons

14,000 gallons

Some 14,000 gallons (53,000 liters) of water are propelled out of the fountain's 134 jets each minute. They shoot the water 150 feet (46 meters) into the air and there is a music and light show at the fountain in the evenings.